Jaime Jo Wright

Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright is a mystery thriller. This book is filled with mystery and suspense. In the past, in 1910, Effie and her younger sister Polly find themselves caught up in a murder. Polly draws Effie into visiting 322 Predicament Avenue, where Polly witnesses a murder and becomes comatose afterward.

In the present, Norah Richman finds herself fulfilling her twin sister’s dream of owning a bed-and-breakfast at 322 Predicament Avenue, but another murder takes place.

I don’t recommend reading this book right before bed. The twists, turns, murder, and mystery May keep you up. In some ways, I found this book a bit dark for my tastes. But, if you enjoy mystery/thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat, check out this book for yourself.

So, if you want a mystery or thriller, check out Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.… (meer)

"Fear steals our joy and is the agony of those with no hope. It will not define us. Fear is the enemy we will defeat."

Ah, it's another deliciously delightful murder mystery and ghost story from Jaime Jo Wright. This book is less eerie and frightful than her previous books and has more romance (yes, you heard me right). It also addresses grief and fear and has excellent observations on how we can approach both potentially crippling emotions.
Effie's 1901 third person voice is loyal, loving, and proper yet when her younger sister's health and reputation are on the line, she breaks out of her predictable self and goes hunting for truth. Norah's present day third person voice is fearful, anxiety-ridden, and completely trapped in the past that she cannot live in the present. Effie and Norah are connected by the house on 322 Predicament Avenue and their dual timeline story of murder, betrayal, and discovery of self is an unforgettable one. Though Anderson in 1901 and Sebastian in the present time do not have their own perspectives in the story, the author weaves their characters and backstories impeccably into the women's lives that they still feel like main characters. Their relationships are fragile yet deep on a soul-connecting level and their romance is tentative, quite tender and amazingly sweet.

It's another must-read from Jaime Jo Wright. I don't know how she does it, but her books just keep getting better and better! I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Bethany House via Celebrate Lit Tours and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All opinions are my own.… (meer)

“I can hear the darkness.”

“Sometimes findin’ out the truth is too painful. It’s easier to figure out how to get by an’ pretend the past doesn’t haunt you.”

Haunted, I am. Jaime Jo Wright, led by her self-acknowledged muse of Edgar Alan Poe, offers up one of her eeriest novels yet. What makes Wright, with her themes of death and fear so beloved?
For some, it may be the tendency towards the macabre. Wright pens this dual timeline and includes interludes of an unreliable narrator, totally obsessed with death and God’s judgment. At first, I questioned why I was reading something so dark. However, having read several of Wright’s books, I know that eventually the mysteries will be explained, and specters will be unmasked. Eventually, breaking through the dark clouds of the shadow of death, Wright will present that Ray of Hope that shines brightly enough to tunnel through the darkness victoriously.

Small town Shepherd, Iowa, holds secrets as it sees two murders a century apart. In 1901, the bankers’ daughters, Polly and Effie James, witness a terrible occurrence at 322 Predicament Avenue. Polly, terminally ill, becomes almost comatose after being an eye-witness. Effie, the bookish and more rule-oriented of the two, searches for a way to bring her sister back from what she believes is a premature sickness. Society conspires against Effie at every turn. At risk to her own reputation, Effie befriends a newcomer to town and starts investigating with him, breaking every expectation her parents have for her future.

Nearly a century later, Nora Richman owns 322 Predicament Avenue, capitalizing on its dark history to attract visitors to her B and B. A true-crime podcaster comes to stay, ruffling Nora’s nerves as he revives the two murders, one being that of Nora’s twin sister a decade earlier. Nora is a shell of herself since that event, barely able to leave her home, and wants nothing to do with resurrecting the hurtful past. Another death and a second visitor to the house sets in motion a course of events that could totally break Nora.

Fear of death. This is Effie’s predicament. “When a person lived afraid of death, when they could feel death’s cold breath on their neck every moment of the day, there was no courage left to be had. No anticipation. No hope. Only the force of one’s own will to try to outrun the fear before they were eaten alive by it. Before their greatest fear became their worst reality.” Whew, if reading that doesn’t explain Effie’s life and make you, the reader, afraid, I don’t know what will! Anderson, Effie’s English acquaintance, fears something very much.

Nora doesn’t so much fear death as life itself. Nora’s guest, Sebastian, is afraid of something that is altering his life.Nora has so many questions. How can she stop being afraid? Her friend answers, “He left you to live. So live, Norah. Believe there haven’t been mistakes, only a busted-up old world in need of hope.” The real question Wright challenges us, the reader with, is will we surrender to hope or fear? In what basis?

What an incredible wrap-up! I guessed one culprit, but never in a million years would I have nailed the other villain. Wright also drives home the point people are not as we judge them to be.

Bravo, Miss Wright! I’m ready for your next novel of creepy hope!!

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit via NetGalley. I also bought my own ecopy and a paperback for my keeper shelf. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotables:

“Death had been a guest here at Predicament Avenue for decades, and it was clear that Death wasn’t ready to check out quite yet.”

“It’s a’right to admit you’re not a’right.”

“It was as if the sun had gone down at 322 Predicament Avenue the night Naomi’s murdered body had been found, and it had never risen again.”

“What was it about being afraid that pushed a person away from God instead of toward Him?”

“Fear steals our joy and is the agony of those with no hope. It will not define us. Fear is the enemy we will defeat.”… (meer)